Ecotourism Australia acknowledges all impacted by ex-Cyclone Alfred

In January 2025, Ecotourism Australia acknowledged the impacts of recent climate events on operators, including those affected by flooding in Far North Queensland and by bushfire in the Grampians.

Now they are acknowledging the many more regions across Southeast Queensland and Northern NSW impacted by yet another natural disaster, with ex-Cyclone Alfred bringing severe winds and flooding as well as prolonged power outages to much of the region. 

Ecotourism Australia Chief Executive Elissa Keenan shared “I want to acknowledge everyone who has been affected by this climate event, including many of our own team here in Brisbane. Our industry is a resilient one but there is no doubt this is yet another blow to our sector.

“As we go into the federal election, Ecotourism Australia will be continuing to advocate for increased support for tourism operators to recover from natural disasters, as well as pushing for more action on climate change, including funding for businesses to adopt sustainable practices and technologies. These are also recommendations made by Ecotourism Australia to the recent federal budget submission process and to the Queensland Government’s Destination 2045 strategy.”

Climate Action Week Sydney 
Earlier this week, Keenan spoke on a very timely panel at Climate Action Week Sydney, titled ‘Tourism Emissions: The Challenge We Can’t Afford to Ignore’.

The panel, which included Todd Lacey from Booking.com and Dr. Ya Yen Sun from the University of Queensland, discussed the emerging global pushback against high-emissions travel and the need for Australia to do more to reduce our carbon footprint to remain attractive to visitors.

A key theme of the discussion was the importance of businesses verifying their sustainability claims through certification – such as the recognised programs offered by Ecotourism Australia – to create trust with their customers. 

Image. Gold Coast closed beach during ex-Cyclone Alfred. Credit: Gold Coast Council